OSM / Symphony of a Thousand dress rehearsal open to the public

Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand

Dress rehearsal open to the public on September 8 at 7 p.m.

Montreal, June 25, 2008 – In light of the strong demand for the two performances of Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand (September 9 and 10), the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal announces that the dress rehearsal for this concert will be open to the public, on September 8 at 7 p.m. in Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier. Tickets can be obtained right away at www.osm.ca or by dialing 514-842-9951.

Maestro Kent Nagano and the Symphony of a Thousand are launching the OSM’s 75th season. A performance of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony is never just a concert: it marks an event, a special occasion. The work is known as “Symphony of a Thousand” in recognition of the forces involved at its premiere in 1910. Two mixed choruses, a boys’ chorus, a girls’ chorus, eight soloists, an extra brass section stationed offstage and a gigantic orchestra!

The Symphony of a Thousand marked the 50th anniversary of the OSM in 1984, when the Orchestra played it at the Montreal Forum. With more than 400 musicians on stage, this colossal and majestic work with its joyous and visionary message is especially appropriate to launch the celebrations of the OSM’s 75th season.

What: Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand conducted by Kent Nagano

Dress rehearsal open to the public

When: September 8 at 7 p.m.

Where: Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts

Tickets: www.osm.ca or 514-842-9951

The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal is presented by Hydro-Québec

in association with National Bank

PSO Offers the Opportunity to Hear Mahler's Symphony No. 1 for $25

PORTLAND, Maine – In order to showcase a tremendous piece of music – as well as their new Music Director Designate – the Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO) presents Mahler's spectacular Symphony No. 1 in glorious Merrill Auditorium on Monday, May 5^th for only $25 per person. For those who've never been to a PSO performance, and even for those who have, this Podium Prelude Concert offers an unparalleled opportunity to hear an hour-long concert designed to introduce incoming Music Director Robert Moody to Portland and the southern Maine community. All tickets are available for the same low price.

Deborah Galarneau, President of the PSO's Board of Trustees, said, "We have never been able to offer the community such a special event at such an economical price. And there is still the opportunity to get seats that would usually cost at least twice as much! We're thrilled to introduce the community to Maestro Moody at this special event."

Mahler's Symphony No. 1 is one of the most exciting and accessible works ever written for symphony orchestra. The first movement is full of birdsongs, the second movement is a folk dance, and the third movement is a spooky funeral march, with klezmer accents, based on the "Frere Jacques" melody. The stormy finale begins with an alarming bang and builds to a huge climax. Program notes and an audio invitation from Robert Moody are available at www.portlandsymphony.com.

In addition to the $25 tickets for the May 5 concert there are a limited number of $150 tickets, which include Grand Tier seating and an exclusive cocktail reception at the Cumberland Club with Robert Moody. Those tickets can be purchased by calling the PSO office at (207) 773-6128.

Robert Moody will direct Mahler's Symphony No. 1 again on Tuesday May 6 as part of the PSO's season finale concert. That program will also include Dan Locklair's PHOENIX for orchestra, a piece commissioned in 2006 by Robert Moody, and Haydn's Cello Concerto in D Major, with celebrated Canadian guest soloist Denise Djokic. Tickets are extremely limited to this event.

Tickets for the Podium Prelude and other PSO performances are available now through www.porttix.com, by phone at 207-842-0800, or at the PortTix box office, 20 Myrtle St., Monday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.

WFMT Radio Network to Webcast Massive Mahler Symphony March 15 From Quebec City

WFMT Radio Network

5400 N. St. Louis Ave.

Chicago, IL 60625-4623

Tel: (773) 279-2000

www.wfmt.com

For Immediate Release

LIVE FROM QUEBEC CITY:
WFMT RADIO NETWORK TO WEBCAST MASSIVE
MAHLER SYMPHONY CONCERT MARCH 15

With Exclusive Rights, Leading Classical Broadcaster
To Air and Stream French Canadian Capital's
400th Birthday Kickoff Concert

CHICAGO, March 10, 2008 — The WFMT Radio Network has announced it will produce and distribute the exclusive live radio broadcast and Web simulcast of the historic March 15 concert of Gustav Mahler's massive Symphony No. 8 from Quebec City.

The concert, to be staged with 1,000 performers in the cavernous Colisée Pepsi sports arena, will launch the French Canadian capital's year-long 400th anniversary celebration.

The two-hour concert presentation will be streamed live at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (00:30 Greenwich Mean Time March 16) at www.wfmt.com. Web access is free.

The concert will also air live over 98.7/WFMT, Chicago, the network's flagship station, and is being offered free, for live or later broadcast, to any radio station that's interested, said Steve Robinson, WFMT's general manager and executive producer for the Mahler broadcast.

Mahler's Eighth Symphony, written in 1906, is also known as the "Symphony of a Thousand" because of the enormous number of orchestral musicians and singers it requires. It's rarely performed with the full, large-scale forces that will be assembled on one stage for the Quebec City concert.

Maestro Yoav Talmi will conduct the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, the Trois-Rivières Symphony Orchestra, and other orchestras; a combined chorus from more than a dozen vocal ensembles; and eight vocal soloists.

"It's going to be exciting to hear what this gargantuan Mahler symphony sounds like on the radio and on the Web," Robinson said.

A WFMT team consisting of on-air hosts Lisa Flynn (and a co-host to be named), producer Peter Whorf, and engineer Eric Arunas will be in Quebec City for the special broadcast.

"To remain relevant, broadcasters need to offer unique, high-value programs online and over the air," Robinson said. "At the same time, the WFMT Radio Network's celebratory symphony broadcast from Quebec City recalls the Golden Age of network radio, when live coverage of important cultural events at home and overseas received high priority."

The cost of the broadcast is being underwritten by the Quebec Ministry of Tourism, Canadian Tourism Commission, and Tourism Quebec.
# # # #
Press information contact:

Nat Silverman

Nathan J. Silverman Co. PR
1830 Sherman Ave., Suite 401
Evanston, IL 60201-3774
Tel: (847) 328-4292
Fax: (847) 328-4317
E-mail: natsilv@aol.com

Valery Gergiev records Mahler on LSO Live

LSO Live

Press announcement

17 January 2008

Valery Gergiev records Mahler on LSO Live

Valery Gergiev's first recording on the London Symphony Orchestra's LSO Live label will be released in April 2008 and features Mahler's Symphony No 6. The release will be the first in a complete cycle of the Mahler symphonies and was recorded in London during November 2007.

Gergiev is conducting the complete Mahler cycle in concert with the LSO in London and on tour during the 2007-2008 season. He became Principal Conductor of the LSO in January 2007 whilst continuing his relationships with the Mariinsky Theatre (formerly Kirov) in St Petersburg and Metropolitan Opera in New York. He will continue making recordings with the Mariinsky for Decca.

LSO Live was launched in 2000 and releases its 50th recording in January 2008 featuring works by James MacMillan conducted by the orchestra's President Sir Colin Davis. The label has also made recordings with conductors Bernard Haitink, Mariss Jansons, André Previn and the late Msitislav Rostropovich. It is the most successful of the new breed of orchestra labels and has collected numerous awards including Grammy Awards, Gramophone Awards and Classical Brits.

LSO Live is dedicated to reaching the widest audience for classical music and attracting newcomers to the genre as well as classical devotees. The label is at the forefront of the use of new technologies to distribute and promote music and was the first classical label to make its entire catalogue available for download. Each LSO Live recording captures the energy of live performances coupled with the production standards of the finest studio recordings. Live recording used to mean making compromises but today the very best recording technology can be used in the concert hall. Each title in the Mahler cycle will be released on Super Audio CD and will be available in all good stores internationally as well as for download from digital music services including the iTunes Store.

Valery Gergiev and the LSO collected a Gramophone Award in October 2007 for their recordings of the complete Prokofiev symphonies which were released by Philips and produced by the LSO Live production team.

'If this is an indication of how the cycle will unfold, we're in for something wonderful'

Daily Telegraph (UK) concert review of Mahler Symphony No 6

For further information contact:

Dvora Lewis Public Relations

tel: +44 (0)20 7435 9257

email: dlpr@dvoralewis.com

Review copies available from February 2008

lso.co.uk

Quintilla Hughes

Dvora Lewis Public Relations

12 Pilgrim's Lane

London

NW3 1SN

Tel: +44 (0)20 7435 9257

Mob: +44 (0)7739 287027

quintilla@dvoralewis.com